James Craig continues to face backlash for sending a campaign fundraising letter in which he went on the attack against law enforcement, calling members of the Michigan State Police “weak-kneed…underlings” that “abandon[ed] their jobs” to operate as cronies. In his desperate attempts to dodge responsibility for the mailer – despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary and even accounts from former staff that it was “personally approved” – Craig has denied that he “would use such language” to describe members of law enforcement.
However, this mailer isn’t the first time Craig has gone on the attack against MSP in particular, as evidenced in reporting surrounding his disastrous campaign reboot that took place last September.
- MLive: “When news of James Craig’s chaotic campaign launch went national Tuesday, Craig was quick to blame…the Michigan State Police. […] Craig accused the responding authorities — it’s not clear exactly which agency — of not showing up, then showing up. […] ‘I know this is not accidental. This is not accidental,’ said Craig.”
- Detroit Free Press: “Republican gubernatorial candidate James Craig believes Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, in some way intervened to prevent state law enforcement from responding to protesters who derailed his campaign announcement Tuesday morning on Belle Isle. The former police chief of Detroit leveled the accusation of substantial misconduct. […] He then suggested a conspiracy involving Whitmer, the Michigan State Police and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.”
- Deadline Detroit: “On Tuesday night he went a step further by suggesting on Tucker Carlson’s show on Fox News that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had some role in preventing state law enforcement from responding to protesters, the Detroit Free Press reports. He suggested she was in cahoots with Michigan State Police and the DNR.”
MDP spokesperson Rodericka Applewhaite issued the following statement:
“Just like when he faced scrutiny over his failure to fulfill his pledge to get certified or fleeing the scene of a carjacking, James Craig is once again trying to paper over his record and refusing to take responsibility. As he faces questions about his attacks on law enforcement to raise money, he’s looking for someone else to take the fall for his mess and manufacturing conspiracies to back it up. This isn’t leading from the front, it’s passing the buck to anyone else but him, and Michiganders deserve better.”
